


Mystery

by terrifier



Series: Bloodhound Origins [1]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: AFAB Bloodhound (Apex Legends), Angst, Backstory, Bloodhound Headcanons (Apex Legends), Canon Non-Binary Character, Family, Fight me on that, For the angst, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Nightmares, Olympus (Apex Legends), Other, Slavery, bc the legends r family, dont actually >.<, rewriting bloodhounds backstory, thank you, when theyre not killing each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:14:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27177712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terrifier/pseuds/terrifier
Summary: After overhearing a conversation between Wraith and Mirage, Bloodhound finds old memories and forgotten fears returning.
Series: Bloodhound Origins [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983769
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings include past slavery, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and present insecurities. 
> 
> Most of these trigger warnings will be explored in later chapters, but they will be there so please don’t read this if you may be triggered by these subjects. In no way do I condone any of the things mentioned in the trigger warning.
> 
> As is canon, please remember that BH is non-binary so their pronouns are they/them even in flashbacks, but for the purpose of this fic, they are AFAB (assigned female at birth).
> 
> Anyways, with that all out of the way, please continue if you’d like ^.^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As is canon, BH was never actually a slave, but before the Old Ways, it said on their character page that people speculated they could have been a former slave (as well as being half bat lol), so I will be ignoring most of the Old Ways canon for BH and focusing on the rumours made about them
> 
> anyways, enjoy :)

It was late. That much was obvious by the dark sky and twinkling stars. There was no reason to be awake at this hour, but Bloodhound had always been a bit of a night owl, sometimes finding themselves unable to sleep at all.

It was a regular occurrence, sometimes they didn’t sleep until the early hours of the morning. Tonight was one such occurrence hence why they found themselves wandering the shared Apex compound, a large, fancy building designed specifically for Legends only. When they weren’t participating in the Apex Games, the Legends had to stay there and live together.

It wasn’t all too bad, unless Revenant showed his face to taunt everyone, including Bloodhound sometimes, or when Caustic was experimenting with his gases. Most of the time it was actually very enjoyable to live with the other Legends. 

On their days off or in between games, they would either find something to do or gather and spend time together. Back in Kings Canyon, when they were all still getting to know each other better, they had all played a silly game of truth or dare. 

There had been a lot of alcohol involved and Mirage had thrown up in the kitchen sink, but it had been fun. They’d gotten to know each other more, shared embarrassing memories and revealed trivial secrets to one another. Bloodhound, while having not had a drink due to their mask and wanting to keep it on, had revealed things they thought were appropriate. Small things like their biggest hunt, their favourite food. 

Though unimportant, the other Legends had eaten each detail up with interest. Eventually, they had decided to go back to their room for the night as it had gotten late. Everyone else had agreed and followed their lead.

Bloodhound missed when they used to gather like that. They all fought in the same bloodsport, that was true, but outside of the ring, they were just people with goals in mind. Whether it be gaining enough money to get home, or simply, in Bloodhound’s case, for the thrill of the hunt, they all had a goal. 

They liked getting to know their fellow Legends. They liked being in their company, even if they didn’t speak as much as, say, Octane or Mirage. They liked to think they had good relationships with the others, having been competing in the Games now for several years. Over time, many Legends had come and gone, but only a few remained. 

Bloodhound had joined the games during its one-hundred and twenty-first season. They had seen a lot of Legends since then, but, as they said, only a select few remained and they had all grown close. Gotten to know each other, but Hound wished they had more time to get to know them outside of the games. 

They paused in their journey through the compound. After moving to the new arena, Olympus, they had, understandably, been relocated to a new compound. It was their third day post-move and they were still getting the hang of the layout. They had most of it memorised, but the area they had wandered to was new to them.

The windows that lined either side of them were large, practically taking up the entirety of the walls. The sky that they could see over the tops of skyscrapers was pitch black, and the moon, a waxing crescent, was large. Slightly larger than Earth’s moon, the noticed. Shaking their head of all Earth-related thoughts, they continued their journey to, hopefully, the kitchen.

The next room the stumbled upon seemed to be almost useless, save for the sparse furniture consisting of only a small orange couch and a oak coffee table. They tilted their head slightly in confusion, wondering the purpose of the room as well as where they were in the compound.

Surely they were close to the kitchen by now. It felt like they’d walked the entirety of the building at that point.

With a sigh, wishing they’d just stayed in bed with Artur’s company, they crossed the small room to the door on the other side of it. It was ajar slightly, light creeping out of it and shining on one of their goggle lenses, and they brought their hand up to push it the rest of the way open, but stopped at the sound of someone speaking. 

It sounded like Elliot, but his voices was fairly quiet and they had to listen closely to make the correct assumption. By the end of his sentence, he let out a laugh, and they deduced it was, in fact, Mirage. 

They wondered what he was doing up so late at night, usually he would have collapsed in his room, exhausted after competing in the Games. And if they hadn’t participated that day, he would have been at a nearby pub, getting ‘wasted’ as he called it. 

A second laugh followed Elliot’s, feminine. Renee, they pinpointed her laugh quickly. She didn’t laugh much, simply content to smirk to herself in amusement, but when she did, Bloodhound could always tell she was having fun. Bloodhound admittedly savoured the rare occasions she indulged herself. She had a lovely laugh.

Wraith being awake at such late hours made more sense than Mirage, so Bloodhound decided she had perhaps convinced Elliot to join her in whatever she was doing. 

Though they were never one to eavesdrop on another’s conversation, they felt they didn’t want to interrupt whatever conversation the pair were having in the next room. They had almost turned away, finding the conversation uninteresting, when their ears picked up on their name spoken by Elliot.

” _What about Bloth?_ ” He asked.

” _What about them?_ ” Renee replied, her voice perking up with what Bloodhound sensed was curiosity. 

“ _What do you think about them?_ ”

Renee chuckled, “ _well, we’ve been competing in the same Game for a few years now. They’re a good fighter. Competent enough to hold their own._ ”

Despite the unusualness of the question on Elliot’s behalf, Bloodhound found themselves smiling in response to Renee’s kind words.

Bloodhound usually didn’t care what others thought of them, their words rolling off of them like water on a duck’s back, but it was always nice to hear others’ praises.

“ _Yeah, but I mean, like, outside of the arena, you know?_ ” Elliot continued. “ _What do you think of them? Who do you think they really are?_ ”

“ _I don’t know,_ ” Renee answered, “ _there’s a lot of rumours. Always has been. I don’t know if I really believe any of them, though.”_

” _Really? Cause I heard they were half-bat,_ ” Elliot chuckled.

” _And you believe it? Come on, man, have you ever met or heard of anyone who was half-bat?_ ”

” _Uh, Batman? Is that his name? I don’t know, it was such a long time ago,_ ” Elliot mumbled. 

Bloodhound rolled their eyes. Such an old Earth tale, they had forgotten about it. 

“ _I have no idea what you’re talking about,_ ” Renee said.

” _Anyway, back to my original question,_ ” Elliot backtracked. “ _Who do you think the mysterious Bloth really is? I mean, we live with them, you must have thought about it at some point? You must have some thoughts._ ”

“ _I don’t know,_ ” Renee sighed. There was some noise, like she had shifted on the couch. “ _I’ve heard plenty of rumours, like I said. One keeps cropping up, though, no matter which planet we’re on._ ”

“Which is?” Elliot prompted.

”They’re a former slave.”

Silence reigned out while Bloodhound’s eyes widened beneath their mask. Usually one with great composure, their heart pounded erratically. They almost thought it would beat its way out of their armour. 

The conversation began again, with Elliot laughing at Renee and the latter turning things around on him and his silly half-bat rumour. Bloodhound was hardly listening. The blood was rushing in their ears, too loud. They turned on their heel and quickly stalked away.

They wished they’d never stayed to listen to their felagi fighter’s conversation. The Gods had clearly seen fit to punish then for their wrongdoing. 

They bumped into someone on the way back to their room, but they didn’t stay to apologise or see who it was. They just wanted to go back to their room and sleep. They wanted to forget about the conversation and continue hunting for the Allfather. 

When they finally reached their room, they shut the door behind them perhaps a little too hard. They tore of their helmet, feeling like they were suffocating. Next was their hood and then finally their goggles. They rarely took off their goggles, preferring to keep them on due to personal choice, but sometimes, after long periods of time, the rubber dug into the area around their eyes and became uncomfortable.

They kept their respirator on, but held it closer to their face, taking deep breaths in and out. Their breathing was loud in the silence of the room. The only noise that accompanied it was the occasional caw from Artur. Their companion was in his cage, but watched them with his curious, beady eyes, head tilting this way and that.

They shook their head as they finally let go of their respirator. Their heart had calmed, but as they removed their hand from the respirator, they could see that they had been shaken to the core. Their hand was trembling.

” _Control yourself, child._ ”

Bloodhound growled in annoyance at the pesky little voice. They hadn’t heard that voice since before they joined the Apex Games, and they had hoped to never hear it again for as long as they lived but it seemed Renee and Elliot’s conversation had made it resurface.

Artur cawed and just before they could tell him to hush, a knock sounded at their door.

So caught up in their mind, they hadn’t even heard anyone in the hallway outside their room. They startled and quickly grabbed their gear, hurrying to put it back on.

Just as they were pulling their hood back up, goggles returned to their face, a voice spoke from the other side of the door.

”Hound? You okay?”

They recognised the voice as Anita. She sounded concerned.

”I am fine, felagi fighter,” Bloodhound responded, returning their helmet to their head.

”Are you sure? You bumped into me on the way to your room. You seemed distressed,” Anita continued.

So that was who they’d bumped shoulders with.

”I am sorry for walking into you, Anita,”. the apologised sincerely. Their head was a little clearer than it had been a few minutes ago and they felt guilty for their lack of apology after walking into her. “But I am fine. I thank you for your concern, may the Gods bless you.”

”I noticed Renee and Elliot were down there too,” Anita said, “did they say something? I know how Elliot can be. Always has his foot in his mouth.”

Bloodhound agreed with her statement about Elliot, but they didn’t want to discuss this further.

”It was my fault,” they admitted, “I overheard some of their conversation.”

”Oh,” Anita said, “what did they say? Do I need to have a word with them?”

Though Bloodhound appreciated her gesture but quickly denied. It was true that it was their fault, that they shouldn’t have eavesdropped, but they also didn’t want any trouble nor any bad blood between themselves and their felagi Legends.

Hound couldn’t help what rumours the Legends heard about them nor what they chose to believe. They had chosen to keep their identity a secret for more reasons than one. It was unsurprising that rumours had begun.

”Okay, well, you know if you need me, I’m just a few doors down,” Anita told them.

”I thank you, felagi fighter,” Bloodhound bowed their head though Anita couldn’t see it. “Goodnight.”

”Night, Bloth,” Anita bid.

A second later her footsteps, distinctive to only her, were heard through the door as she made her way back to her own room. Bloodhound waited for the sound of the door opening and closing before they sighed and removed their gear again.

It had certainly been a long night and they wanted to sleep.

After removing the rest of their armour and slipping into some baggy trousers and a thick jumper, they burrowed themselves under their blanket and closed their eyes.

“I _said control yourself! Look at me when I’m talking to you!_ ”

Bloodhound’s eyes flew open in alarm and they sat up, blanket pooling around their waist. Their heart thudded erratically and their chest heaved with their deep breaths. They looked around their room for their assailant, but they saw no one other than Artur who was snoozing peacefully in his cage.

They sighed, leaning back against the wall behind their bed. They were exhausted. They had no energy. Their eyes caught the edges of their curtains and saw the daylight spilling around them. It felt like they had only slept minutes, but they had apparently slept hours.

Knowing they needed to get up lest the other Legends questions their absence, they pushed the blanket away and rose from the bed. The easiest thing to motivate them to prepare for the day, they decided, was to open the window and let the light in.

So they did exactly that. They prepared themselves for the onslaught by closing their eyes as they pulled the curtains open. They could feel straight away the light burning their eyelids and they slowly opened their eyes. The light was yellow and warm, and beautiful.

A small smile sat upon their lips as they left the window and entered their en suite.

They quickly washed their face, brushed their teeth, and got dressed. They also, of course, added their face paint even, swiping red lines and dots. Though they had no Game to compete in until next week, they still wore their armour in their free time, even in the Compound amongst people they spent almost all of their time with. 

When they reentered their room, they opened Artur’s cage. Their raven friend swooped out and did a lap of their room once free. He cawed and then, coming back around, landed on Bloodhound’s shoulder.

“ _Góðan daginn vinur minn_ ,” they greeted him, stroking under his chin.

Artur had been with them since they were a child. Since before the Apex Games. They were their only true friend, someone to whom they could confess their thoughts and feelings, someone they could trust even if he was just a bird.

”Come, Artur, it is time to face the world.”

As they opened their door to leave the room, Artur moved from their shoulder to sit atop their head. Bloodhound chuckled quietly to themselves, amused.

* * *

When they found the kitchen, which, in the daylight, had taken a little less time than the night prior, they noticed they were the first to arrive. It seemed the others either hadn’t left the comforts of their rooms yet or had decided to get some training in before any sustenance. Not a wise move, but some of the Legends couldn’t be told.

Because they were alone, they took the time to grab themselves a quick glass of water and gulp it down before replacing their respirator. Usually they preferred to eat or drink in privacy rather than such a public space, but as they were alone, they decided why not.

They rummaged through the cupboards and found a couple of snack bars. They unwrapped one and pulled their respirator down to eat half of it in one bite. They already found, without their aid, it was difficult to breathe but they would be fine unless they were walking at a fast pace or running, or simply doing anything that required too much energy.

Their chest rattled without their respirator a little as they put the rest of their food in their mouth and began to chew. They hadn’t had these snack bars before, but they’d seen the other Legends eat them and, opening their last bar, they also found they were quite nice.

”Oh, shit, sorry-“

Bloodhound pocketed their bar and quickly pulled their respirator back up. Turning around, they noticed Wraith standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She had her head turned to the side, eyes closed.

”It is okay, felagi fighter,” Bloodhound told her, “I did not hear your approach.”

”I, uh, used a portal,” Wraith told them. She opened her eyes and, seeing they had their respirator back on, walked the rest of the way into the room. She looked a little awkward and, dare Bloodhound say it, guilty. For what, they didn’t know.

Bloodhound took a seat at the kitchen table and gestured the seat across from them.

”Sit, please,” they requested.

Wraith nodded silently and sat across from them.

”Is there something troubling you, felagi?” They asked.

”Look, Anita told me she saw you last night,” Wraith began, and then Bloodhound remembered. They knew now why Wraith looked so guilty. “She said you looked upset and asked us if we’d said anything to you. I guess you heard me and Elliot last night.”

”I did, yes,” Bloodhound confirmed calmly.

_Look at me or I’ll make you._

They winced painfully behind their mask, fists clenching on their thighs under the table.

“I’m so sorry, Bloth, we didn’t mean to upset you-“ Wraith started to apologise but Bloodhound held up a hand, halting her.

”You needn’t apologise, felagi,” they told her, “you cannot help what rumours you hear and I cannot control what you believe. It is my choice to keep my identity a secret and I will not confirm nor deny any rumours.”

”Still, it kinda sucks that people make all of these things up about you,” Wraith sighed. Bloodhound could still see a hint of guilt in her expression, but it had mostly faded.

”Yes, it does,” they agreed, “but it as I said, I cannot control these things.”

Wraith hummed.

”Hey, Bloth, what does felagi mean?” She asked. 

“It is of an old Earth language. It means companion,” they answered.

”What’s the name of the language?”

”Icelandic,” they said, “my native tongue.”

”Can you teach me some?” Wraith asked. “You speak it a lot, I’d like to learn it.”

Bloodhound’s heart swelled a little at the concept of a fellow Legend taking such an interest in their native language. Their lips curled into a small smile. 

“Of course, felagi,” they agreed, “you let me know when you are free and we shall see if we can fit it into your schedule.”

”Awesome,” Wraith smiled, “thanks, Bloth.”

”You are quite welcome, Renee.”

”Hey, do we have any more of those snack bars left?”

”I believe I had the last two,” Bloodhound admitted.

”Damn.”

Bloodhound reached into their pocket and took out the last snack bar. The packet was slightly open, but they handed it to Wraith.

”You may have it,” they said.

”Really? Thanks, Bloth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as this is now going to be posted post-season 7 update, I have decided to add Horizon to the fic and it will take place in the new map but the Apex compound isn’t where they fight (for obvious reasons), it’s on the planet below
> 
> was not going to include any ships in this fic but I am considering making it a wraith/bh fic? lmk what y’all think if you want it to stay gen


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bloodhound begins to find it hard to focus, Wraith and Horizon are concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for flashbacks including past abuse, and gun fights (tho that is a given considering the fandom lol)

They were sure their respirator was no longer working. It felt impossible to even take in any oxygen at all and they felt they were going to suffocate. A hand was brought up to press their respirator closer to their face, but it didn’t do anything.

Looking around, they had no idea where they were. They were somewhere- they could feel the solid ground beneath their feet- but where, they didn’t know. A wall (or something solid) was pressed against their back and their knees were drawn to their chest. Something was in their hands. A weapon?

_A resounding bang made them flinch horribly, their wide eyes looked up and landed on a looming silhouette. The figure was in the doorway, the doors swinging back and forth. The noise must have come from it hitting the wall._

_“What ‘ave I told you about that bird?”_

_They looked down fearfully and saw a small raven clutched in their hands. It cawed quietly._

_”I- I am not sure where he came from,” they admitted._

_”Don’ give me that. That thing has been in and out of here for weeks.”  
_

_A name popped into their mind as they stared at the bird, but it was so far out of reach that they couldn’t quite grasp it._

_”Suppose I’ll have to get rid of it meself.”_

_The figure crept forward, heavy boots thudding on each impact made with the floor._

_They held the bird tighter, bringing it closer to themselves as they watched the figure approach._

_”Please, do not harm him,” they told the figure._

_”You don’t get to tell me what to do,” the figure told them, “you’re ‘ere to work and not make a sound. Got it?”_

_”Please,” they begged. Tears welled in their eyes as they scooted away from the figure._

_Suddenly the figure was directly in front of them. Standing so close, he looked like a giant. From their position on the floor, knees drawn to their chest, they realised how small they were in comparison._

_They gulped, breaths coming out shakily. The bird cawed and the figure growled._

_”’and over the bird and we can forget about this.”_

_”No,” they refused. The word sounded pathetic out in the open and they cursed themselves for it._

_“What was that?”_

_Fear enveloped them and they begged the Gods for strength as they repeated their answer._

_”You don’t get to tell me ‘no’, child,” the figure snarled, “know your place.”_

_Pain bloomed in their face and they whimpered, tumbling and landing on their side. The bird fell from their clutches, but stayed beside them, hopping on the floor._

_With tears in their eyes, they tried to grab the creature but the figure beat them to it. He swooped down and caught the beautiful raven, righting himself with a victorious chuckle._

_”Please, do not hurt him,” they mumbled, their entire body shaking._

_“I won’t make no promises, kid.”_

_The bird crowed loudly in apparent displeasure and pecked its assailant’s hand. At this, the figure cried in pain and loosened his grip on the bird. The latter took this as its invitation and escaped the figure’s clutches._

_They watched in amazement as the bird circled the room, happy with its freedom before swooping away out of the open doorway the figure had appeared in._

_The bird disappeared into the distance as the figure, still stood beside them, huffed in frustration._

_They chuckled with amusement before stopping themselves with wide eyes and turning their eyes downwards to look at the floor._

_Apparently the figure had heard this as he turned around slowly to look at them. They kept their eyes cast to the floor, refusing to look up. They were positive the figure could hear the way their heart was desperate to escape their chest the way it was pounding._

_Their mouth felt suddenly dry._

_Without warning, the figure swung his foot at them, the toe of his boot making impact with their ribs. They yelled out in pain and clutched their abdomen, tears falling onto their cheeks, but apparently their attacker wasn’t finished as he reached down and dragged them to their feet by the scruff of their shirt._

_He leaned in so his mouth was beside their ear._

_”If I see that bird again, I’ll kill ya,” he threatened, his breath hot on their ear._

_They trembled and nodded._

_Then the figure carelessly threw them across the room. They cried out as their back hit the wall and they landed on the floor._

_The figure huffed and stalked out of the room, closing and locking the door behind him._

_Alone in the dark, they curled in on themselves despite the pain it caused and sobbed._

“ _Allfather, vinsamlegast hjálpaðu mér,” they hiccuped._

”Get your head in the game, Bloth.”

Like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over them, Bloodhound was dragged into the present to the sound of gunfire and explosions.

They blinked, heart skipping a beat and turned to the right where their teammates were staring at them with confusion and mild annoyance.

”Forgive me, félagi fighters,” the apologised, “I seem to be distracted today.”

”Yeah, no kidding,” Wraith huffed.

”Och, be careful, lads, I’ve spotted an enemy ahead of us,” Horizon interrupted them.

Hound grabbed their triple take and brought the scope to their eyes. True to Horizon’s observation, they spotted Lifeline running across the map, seemingly heading towards the respawn beacon just ahead of her.

As they couldn’t see any of her teammates, they decided to go for the shot.

A second later, holding their breath, they pulled the trigger and their bullet hit its mark. Lifeline’s shield flashed and they knew they’d taken it down. It was now or never. They needed to take her down before she could recharge her shield. 

“I have broken Lifeline’s shield, we should go before she recharges it,” they told their teammates.

They rose and led the way, Wraith and Horizon quickly followed suit and they quickly descended upon their enemy.

Horizon threw an arc star at Lifeline, unwilling to waste her ultimate just yet when there was only one enemy, and while Lifeline was stunned, Wraith put a bullet in her head.

A death box soon appeared, confirming Bloodhound’s suspicion that she had lost her teammates and was on the way to reviving them.

”Nicely done, guys,” Horizon praised Wraith and Bloodhound, a smile on her face.

Bloodhound nodded in response to her approval. Their mouth was dry for some reason and they knew they wouldn’t be able to speak if they tried so they kept their mouth closed, but acknowledged the praise given to them.

The thing they liked about Horizon (or Mary as she preferred to be called anywhere that wasn’t the Apex Games) was that she was unendingly kind and compassionate. Aside from the killing in the Games, she was an open person, willing to put aside her own worries in favour of anyone else’s.

To put it simply, she was motherly. In fact, Bloodhound was sure she must have been a mother at some point. They thought they’d seen her holding a picture of a child once, but it had been brief so they weren’t certain.

Bloodhound’s own mother and father had been killed when they were very young, and not too long later, their uncle Artur had been too along with the rest of their village. That had left them alone, wandering for weeks until someone had found them.

Their parents had been busy people, always working in order to provide for them, but unfortunately this left them deprived of any parental affection. They scarcely felt any warmth from their uncle either, he was always too focused on hunting and teaching them how to hunt.

Once he, too, was killed, any brief, one armed hugs from their uncle, and chaste kisses on the forehead at night from their parents were the last of any affection they experienced.

The praise from Horizon, the way she hugged them at the end of each match, whether they’d won or not, and the way she had started bringing them hot chocolate in the evenings even though they didn’t drink in other people’s presence, left them feeling warm inside. She didn’t mind that they took the drink to their room once and drank in solitude.

They liked this motherly woman and they hoped she’d stay for a few more seasons.

“Bloth, we got an enemy squad coming our way!” 

Bloodhound blinked and turned around to see that Horizon and Wraith were crouched behind a wall. It seemed they’d lost focus once again though this time, the thoughts occupying them were distinctly more pleasant.

Quickly, they took a position next to Wraith and brought out their R-301. They quickly scanned the area with their gear and spotted three enemies in the nearest building. Judging from the silhouettes, it was Crypto, Caustic, and Loba.

They relayed what they could see and informed their teammates that they would need to think of a plan quickly as the enemy squad would now be aware of their presence after being scanned.

”I’ll create a portal, get us as close to them as I can,” Wraith decided, “we’ll have an easy exit if things go south.”

”Good idea, lass,” Horizon nodded, “NEWT and I can place a blackhole on the other end.”

”We should be good from there,” Wraith said.

”It is decided. We must be quick,” Bloodhound agreed to the plan and rose from their position.

They scanned once more to be sure the enemy team was still there, then once they could see them, they informed Wraith and the portal was created.

They and Horizon followed Wraith through the portal. Once they came out on the other end, Horizon activated her ultimate and tossed NEWT at the enemies. A blackhole opened up.

Keeping a hold on the nearest object and staying out of the way of the blackhole, Bloodhound opened fire with their AR and broke the shield of Loba and Caustic. As they reloaded, Horizon and Wraith took them down.

That only left Caustic. Somehow, he managed to escape the clutches of the blackhole and ducked behind a loot bin. Knowing he must be low, Bloodhound took out their readied their R-301 and pursued him.

They rounded the crate to find him healing up. but he was soon dead as they sprayed their bullets into his chest. A deathbox followed his demise. Bloodhound looted a purple barrel stabiliser from it as well as some ammo. Everything else, they either had something better or it was useless to them.

”Nice job, Hound!” They received a sudden pat on the back.

They tensed and span around, pushing the hand away, though they already knew it was Horizon. Something in their posture must have given off their unease because Horizon quickly held up her hands and backed up a step.

”Sorry, friend, just got a lil’ bit excited,” Horizon chuckled, lowering her hands.

”It is fine,” Bloodhound said stiffly, “you merely startled me.”

”Oh, sorry,” Horizon quickly apologised, “I didn’ mean to.”

Bloodhound nodded and closed the lid on Crypto’s deathbox. 

“One squad left, guys,” Wraith appeared beside them. “We can win this.”

”With Hound on our team, we _will_ win,” Horizon nudged them.

Bloodhound’s face heat up at her words. They had never been so glad for their mask. They knew they were good, but they didn’t think their fellow Legends looked up to them so much.

”Thank you,” they muttered awkwardly, turning their head away slightly.

Horizon awed and Wraith smirked in that way that she did when she was trying not to laugh or smile properly.

“Come, let us win this game,” they said then turned and walked off in the direction of the circle.

* * *

They won the game but it was a close call. The remaining squad consisted of only two enemies but they fought so well that only Horizon remained by the end of the match and she almost fell with her teammates.

Wraith had fallen after rounding a corner accidentally voidrunning into one of Wattson’s fences, whereas Bloodhound had found themselves distracted and soon shot with a peacekeeper. Thankfully Octane had been too energised by the thrill of the battle to finish them and had gone running after Horizon.

If not for her ultimate finally recharging in the last moments, she might not have won the game. After tossing NEWT with her last bit of strength, she was able to suck her teammates into the blackhole and spray them with her Volt, taking down the rest of their health and killing them.

When it was announced that the Game had been won and she was the champion, she helped Bloodhound and Wraith up off the ground and handed them both syringes.

A few hours later found Bloodhound back at the compound. They had showered to get rid of the smell of dust, blood, and sweat and then changed into clothes that didn’t hold evidence of their recent battle. 

Now, they sat at their desk with Artur as company. Their mask sat close by, just in front of them. They had their goggles and hood on out of personal choice, and their respirator out of necessity, but had opted to keep their mask off for now.

They sighed and stroked Artur’s chest with their index finger. 

“What is wrong with me lately, félagi?” They asked him. “My mind had not been with me. Not completely.”

Artur cawed in response and they chuckled, knowing that he couldn’t understand them. He probably thought they were offering him food.

They reached into their breast pocket and pulled out a few seeds for him.

”Here you go,” they held their hand out and fed him the seeds.

They always kept a handful of seeds on their person for their companion, just in case he got peckish. He could be quite rude when hungry.

Artur cawed happily and began eating from their palm. 

_”You have a loud personality, félagi,” Bloodhound told him, ruffling his feathers as he ate._

_Artur cawed and spread his wings a little in response._

_”I just wish you were a little quieter,” they said to him, “you know he does not like you, félagi.”_

_As if response to their words, Artur flapped his wings erratically, sending strands of hay scattering about, and cawed loudly._

_Bloodhound hushed him, pressing a finger to their lips as if to emphasise their point._

_”Please be quiet, Artur,” they requested._

_On cue, voices erupted from outside of the room. Bloodhound grabbed Artur and stood up, holding the bird up as high as they could towards the small window on the wall above their head._

_Hopefully, they let go of Artur and were relieved when he received the message and flew out of the window. They couldn’t see where he had gone as the window was too high for them._

_It was too late to try and see anyway, as the door flew open with a bang and hit the wall behind it._

A knock resonated throughout the room and Bloodhound startled for the nth time that day. They drew their hand away from Artur as if they’d been scalded and turned their head towards their door.

”Hey, Hound, you in there?” Bangalore’s voice emitted from outside.

”Yes, I am in here, félagi fighter,” they replied.

Though they knew their fellow Legends wouldn’t enter their room without permission, they put their mask and helmet on anyway.

”Good, we were gonna go to a bar to celebrate your win this match,” Bangalore informed them, “you coming?”

It was known among the other Legends that they didn’t eat or drink in public as they didn’t remove their mask or gear, but they always seemed to invite them out.

They really didn’t feel like being around others when their mind kept wandering to unpleasant things. If they were in this state and it had been anyone else’s win, they might not have shown their face, instead opting to remain in their solitude, but as Bangalore had said, it was their win. As such, they felt obligated to show their face. Or rather, their mask.

With a faint sigh, their respirator crackling, they rose from their desk and opened the door to find Bangalore leaning on the doorframe with her right hand. She straightened up when they revealed themselves.

With their own hand, the gestured down the hallway.

“Let us go to this bar,” they decided.

What they could only describe as an amused smirk flashed on her features before quickly vanishing as she nodded.

They glanced back into the dimness of their room and to where Artur was still perched on the desk eating seeds. They closed the door to their sanctuary with the hope that their companion wouldn’t get into too much trouble while they were gone.


End file.
